Great news from the garden this week! We hosted our end-of-the-season Harvest Festival on Sunday and had a terrific turnout from our own garden plot folks and new people curious about the garden.
Cat Kahn, Founder and Executive Director of HarvestShare, Inc., commented: "I hadn't been to Fenton in a few months and the garden looked spectacular, especially for mid-October. The bounty collected weighed 41.2 lbs and was taken to So What Else, an organization that not only supports its own clients but shares food with other MoCo food assistance providers. That donation brought your total collection for the year to 266.45 pounds! Woohoo! Please send my congrats to the garden participants who made it happen."
In addition to sharing our produce, we shared seeds, snacks, played games, and made several cut-flower arrangements. You can see more pics from the event here.
We had another week of fairly mild weather and harvested more zucchini, cucamelons, peppers, and cherry tomatoes. We also cut more bouquets of zinnias and dahlias. The arugula, radish, and cilantro seedlings are all doing well.
We'll be ripping out the tomato vines and last of the beans soon.
How is your garden plot growing this week?
About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 12th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).
In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with John Lonsdale of Edgewood Gardens all about Cyclamen. The plant profile is on Arugula and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Hostas by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
Show Notes:
00:01:39 Cyclamen and introducing John Lonsdale.
00:01:46 John’s childhood gardening experiences.
00:05:17 Garden journey and nursery business.
00:06:21 Gardening with passion and adaptability.
00:12:14 Improving soil with shredded leaves.
00:14:35 Mimicking natural habitat.
00:18:27 Number of cyclamen species worldwide.
00:22:29 Cyclamen leaves are the highlight.
00:23:29 The beauty of cyclamen leaves.
00:25:40 Cyclamen need good drainage.
00:29:04 Natural spread of cyclamen.
00:31:10 Deer and potential pests.
00:36:36 Plastic pots vs terracotta.
00:37:43 Gravel top dressing.
00:39:42 A fabulous growing mix.
00:43:40 The progression of plants.
00:44:19 Cyclamen are low-maintenance and diverse.
00:46:21 The incredible variation of leaves.
00:51:07 Don't be scared to grow them.
00:57:20 Dutch gardening and horticulture.
00:57:24 Discover the beauty of Dutch gardening.
01:00:09 Options for replacing grass.
01:03:23 Strategic replanting and lush greenery.
01:03:42 Hostas are the perfect plant.
And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
This Sunday, 10/15/23, we are hosting an End of Harvest Party at the Fenton Community Garden from 5-6:30pm and all are welcome. We'll be collecting garden-grown produce donations for the hungry and have refreshments, kid's activities, flower arranging, seed sharing, and more. Please plan to join us. (Note that it is canceled if it is raining here at 5:00pm.)
Many of my fellow Fenton gardeners are already cleaning out their plots, but I'm still plugging away and plan to keep on going until a killing frost at least. I
We had a mild weather week and harvested more zucchini, blackberries, cucamelons, peppers, and cherry tomatoes. We also cut more bouquets of zinnias and dahlias. The arugula, radish, and cilantro seedlings are up and doing well.
I will be planting garlic soon and as this year's crop was kind of "meh," I am seeking out a new source of seed garlic. My usual source is the Takoma Park Farmers Market and when I went by there last week, the 'German White' garlic for sale was also pretty puny. So I'm looking for a new source and will see if I try a new variety this time. Got any recommendations?
How is your garden plot growing this week?
About Fenton Friday: Every Friday during the growing season, I'll be giving you an update on my community garden plot at the Fenton Street Community Garden just across the street from my house in zone 7 Mid-Atlantic MD/DC border. I'm plot #16. It is a 10 ft x 20 ft space and this is our 12th year in the garden. (It opened in May 2011.) See past posts about our edible garden by putting "Fenton" into the Search box above (at the top, left on this blog).
The Hardy Banana
Tree (Musa basjoo) gives a tropical
look to temperate landscapes andis a fun
conversation piece in the garden. It is also known as the Japanese Banana or
the Hardy Fiber Banana. It is, in fact, not a tree at all, but one of the
world’s largest herbaceous perennials.
The Hardy Banana can grow in USDA Zones 4 to 10 and is
native to Sichuan, China. This plant will produce lots of dramatic leafy growth
and if the season is long enough, you will get creamy-yellow flowers that then
form small, inedible fruits.
The plant can reach 12 to 18 feet in height. After it
flowers, the main pseudostem will die and then send out baby shoots around the
mother plant that can be lifted and replanted or gifted to other gardeners.
It prefers full sun, moist soil, and plenty of fertilizer to
support the tremendous amount of growth it puts out in one season.
The giant leaves of the Hardy Bamboo can get shredded in
high winds. If you find the shredding unattractive, site the plant where it
will receive some wind protection.
Hardy Banana is perfectly hardy planted in the ground. It
will die back when hit by a killing frost in late autumn. When that happens,
cut the plant down to one foot high, surround it with a chicken wire cage or netting,
and then pile on hay or leaves or other insulating mulch materials around the
plant’s crown.
Here, in the Mid-Atlantic US, many gardeners don’t bother
doing the cut back and mulching. They simply let the fallen foliage act as a
crown insulator and then clear some of that out as the growing season begins
the next spring.
Hardy BananaYou
Can Grow That!
The
video was produced by Washington Gardener Magazine as part of our Plant
Profile series for Mid-Atlantic USA gardeners.
Audio and text by Kathy Jentz
Video and editing by Christine
Folivi
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In this episode of GardenDC: The Podcast about Mid-Atlantic Gardening, we chat with Doug Oster, Pittsburgh's Garden Guru, about Favorite Fall Perennials. The plant profile is on Autumn Daffodils and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Flying Squirrels by Christy Page at the Food Gardening Network.
If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
Show Notes:
00:01:36 Doug and Kathy's mutual love of Duke's Mayo.
00:03:35 Fall perennials are low-maintenance and perfect for planting in the autumn season.
00:04:17 Doug's love affair with perennials.
00:06:21 Easy-to-grow perennials for spreading.
00:09:46 A plant that spreads everywhere.
00:12:44 Growing Tricyrtis plants.
00:13:24 Toad lilies need supplemental water.
00:16:07 Rabbit and chipmunk garden troubles.
00:20:48 Asters are great late-season perennials.
00:21:28 Favorite native Asters
00:24:32 Asters are great pollinator plants.
00:24:38 Asters as a substitute for mums.
00:31:14 Pink Salvia and the Chelsea Flower Show.
00:33:24 Goldenrod is a misunderstood wildflower.
00:34:08 Goldenrod and Joe Pye Weed are low-maintenance, pollinator-friendly plants.
00:35:09 Goldfinches and Goldenrod.
00:40:26 Ugliness that I need.
00:43:59 Deer-resistant plants for shady areas.
00:46:19 Deer-resistant Ligularia for low-maintenance gardening.
00:50:17 Dried seed heads as winter interest.
00:51:28 Importance of sentimental plants.
00:54:23 Amazing perennial plant discovery.
00:57:23 Overwintering potted plants.
01:02:04 Fall perennials are a great addition to any garden.
01:03:11 Hummingbirds visiting canna flowers.
01:06:09 Gardening events and book recommendations.
01:08:31 Flying Squirrels
01:08:38 Hate for flying squirrels emerges.
01:10:22 Catching flying squirrels.
And be sure to leave us a 5-star review on your favorite podcast platform plus share us on social media with #GardenDC, so other gardeners can find us too!
